Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters
A note from the Author: Hey people, here is the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. I have been really busy with school. BUT… now its summer and hopefully I will be writing more. It is again on Zuko's ship. Thank you so much for the reviews! I love them! You guys are amazing!
Zuko waited one whole day to make his move. As the sun was beginning to set again, he leaned out his window to catch the last rays. He would need his strength for tonight. When the sun had set, he walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer that normally would contain his blue spirit mask. To his disappointment, he found the drawer empty. He thought back to Ba Sing Sa and remembered dropping the mask in the water at his Uncle's request. Zuko slammed the drawer and smashed his fist on the top of the dresser. He needed a mask. Then Zuko remembered Ty Lee. She always had a mask or two in her room.
Zuko opened his door and walked down the hall until he reached Ty Lee's room. He knocked cautiously on the door and when no one answered he looked down the hallway on both sides. He was alone. Zuko slipped into the room and shut the door behind him. Not wanting to alert Ty Lee on her return by lighting a torch, Zuko lit a small fire in his palm. He found a large chest in the corner and walked over. Written in fire nation script was the word "costumes". Zuko smirked and opened the lid. On the very top, as if it were laid out for him, was his blue spirit mask. Zuko gasped and clutched the mask greedily. On the back a note was tapped.
It read: "Miss Ty Lee, we of the Dai Li discovered this mask near the entrance to Lake Laogai. We believe it to be the disguise of the infamous Blue Spirit. Please take this as a sign of our allegiance."
Zuko burned the note and shoved the mask under his shirt. He walked out of the room quickly looking both ways to make sure he had not been spotted. Once back in his room, Zuko dressed in all black silk, strapped his swords over his back, and tied his mask around his face. Looking at his reflection, he smiled. It felt good to be back. Zuko grabbed his sacks and the water skins, and crouched in his doorway. The crew was all sleeping by the time Zuko moved out of his crouch, with only the guards on deck and the helmsmen awake. Keeping low, Zuko dashed through the halls toward the waterbender's room. To Katara's room, thought Zuko. He reached her door, unlocked it and slid through. Katara was sitting on her bed, playing with a small stream of water. Her ability to bend had come back.
She stared into Zuko's eyes, smiled and said, "I've been waiting. What took you so long?" Zuko shook his head and held a finger to the lips of his masks. Katara laughed softly and jumped down from her bed. She danced over to Zuko and grabbed her water skins out of his hands. When she had them strapped on, she nodded to Zuko. Zuko nodded back and motioned for her to follow him as he slipped back out the door. He only walked down the hall, keeping to the shadows, for a few feet before he went into another door.
"What are you doing," hissed Katara. Zuko motioned across the room. Katara squinted through the dark and noticed a man sitting in the corner, chained to wall. Katara gasped and ran over to the man. It was Zuko's uncle. Uncle shifted and looked up into her blue eyes.
"Miss Katara," he whispered, "I wondered when I would be seeing you."
"Well, thanks to the 'blue spirit' I can get you out of here," Katara smiled. She took water out of her skins and froze the locks. They became brittle and snapped. Uncle rubbed his wrists.
"Thank you Katara," he said with a smile, "And thank you, Nephew." Zuko shook his head and helped his Uncle to his feet. Zuko led them through the maze of hallways until they reached the back of the ship. It was here they encountered the guards.
Zuko saw the torches ahead of him and waved Uncle and Katara into a room and left the door open a crack. Katara tried to protest but Zuko put a hand over her mouth.
"I don't want you to be a damsel in distress again," he whispered.
"So you're going to become one instead? If we do this together, neither of us will need saving," whispered Katara. Zuko paused for a second and then nodded. Katara stepped back out of the room and stood behind Zuko, trying to hide her blue cloths from the guards. When the torchlight had almost reached them, Katara lashed out. She quietly froze the guards to the floor and Zuko jumped out to smack the backs of their heads with his sword handles. They fell to the ground but before they could reach the floor, Katara caught one and Zuko the other. The clang of their armor would have alerted more guards. They shoved them in the room where Iroh was waiting.
"Well done," said Uncle. Katara smiled and nodded.
"We don't have time! We have to go now!" Zuko said in a harsh whisper. He pushed Katara out the door and looked back at his Uncle. Iroh smiled a huge smile and mouthed, "I told you so".
Zuko stopped, gave one stiff nod and began to lead the way down the hall. They reached the back of the boat and found a small, hanger like area where the boat, which Zuko had used when he teamed up with pirates, was waiting. Zuko leaped across the gap between the boat and the ships floor and landed in a crouch. Katara followed his example and landed next to him. Iroh smiled, shook his head, and walked calmly up the gangplank. Zuko had already gone to work opening the back of the ship so the boat could slip out. Katara was untying the ropes that held the boat in place. When they had finished their jobs, Zuko and Katara met in the helm only to find Iroh already lowering the ship. With a small splash, the boat slipped into the water and just floated while the ship vanished from sight in the fog ahead. To start the boat at that moment would have been a death sentence. The guards would surely hear them.
Then Katara had an idea. She went to the bow of the boat and jumped up to balance on the rail. Focusing herself, she brought her arms up in front of her, her wrists relaxed. She quickly flicked her wrists so her palms thrust outward, and their small craft began to move backwards. Katara continued bending the water, this way and that, propelling the boat for over an hour. Zuko came up behind her. He wanted to tell her she could stop bending now, but he did not want to snap her out of her trance like state with harsh words. He stepped closer and laid his hand on the small of her back, for that was as high as he could reach with her standing on the rail. Katara gasped and spun around on the rail, keeping her balance the whole time. She was relieved to see that it was only Zuko, with his mask now removed.
"We are far enough away. You can stop bending now," he said in a low soothing voice.
Katara nodded tiredly and jumped down from the rail. She lost her footing on the now wet deck and fell forward into Zuko. He caught her with surprise. They remained like that, Katara's head on Zuko's chest and his arms around her waist, for a few seconds. Katara, now blushing, began to remove herself from Zuko's embrace.
"Agni!" shouted Zuko, "You're freezing. Look at your hands. They are almost blue!" Zuko said sharply.
Katara looked down at her hands to find Zuko was right. Her hands were shaking and had a slight blue tint.
"Here," said Zuko. "Come sit over here and I will make a fire."
He led Katara to the center of the boat and brought out the only two benches on deck to sit on and set them facing each other. Katara started to protest, saying that she would be fine and that she was used to the cold. Zuko shook his head and went below deck. He returned a few minutes later with an oil drum and a large pile of wood. He put the oil drum between the benches and dumped the wood in. With a small fire blast, the fire was lit. Katara sat down on one bench, and Iroh had claimed the other. Zuko had no choice but to sit next to Katara.
Katara was trying to warm her hands by rubbing them together, when Zuko noticed and said, "Here, let me."
He grabbed Katara's hands and began to heat his own. Katara gasped in surprise at his sudden closeness. The warmth felt wonderful on her near frozen hands and she shifted closer.
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Hey guys. It's kind of a cliffy I know, but I got stuck. Suggestions are welcome.